Baseball – THE CASTRO CONNECTION

-David Strobach.-

In response to a feature article on Bleacher Boy in the newspaper, The Journal Times, I am reposting a topic that was highlighted.

There is no Hall of Fame where Castro is going……

Fidel Castro, the cruel and harsh Cuban dictator, may have had an opportunity that could have altered the path of Cuba, history and his own life.  Fidel Castro was a star pitcher at the University of Havana.  It was always rumored that Fidel tried out for either the Washington Senators or the New York Yankees.  So…what if?  What if he had made the team?

This is more than baseball…this is world history.

Castro, one of the most cruel dictators in the world; could things have gone differently?  He ranks among the inhumane ruthless dictators in history.  Let’s review:  Castro, a communist, lived in an obscenely luxurious palace, ruled with violent military force, while his own people would average an income of about 19 dollars a month.  Human rights were being stripped from the people including: freedom of choice, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.  Embargos left the people hungry and without employment. Whoever would oppose him was imprisoned, many “disappeared”, and thousands were forced to flee Cuba.  So many innocent lives and families were affected.  Sadly, numerous people were tortured and killed.

Think about this.  What would’ve have happened to Cuba if Fidel Castro made it to the “Bigs?”  Would so many lives still have been ruined? Would another ruthless dictator just have taken his place in history?  How would the Cuban missile crisis have turned out?  Would it ever have happened at all? Would Cuba be communist?  If not, would they have been our allies?  Could the Cold War have ended differently or at least the threats?  Could world history have been totally different?  What if headlines read, CASTRO THROWS NO HITTER! instead of CASTRO KILLS PROTESTERS????

It’s amazing to think . . . what would have happened if he had only made the team and been part of something awesome, like BASEBALL !?!?!?

PERHAPS NOW, AFTER HIS PASSING, RELATIONS WITH CUBA WILL CHANGE……AND IN TURN, WE CAN ENJOY BASEBALL TOGETHER!

Like me on Facebook!

Follow me on Twitter: @BleacherBoy10

Email me: thebleacherboy@yahoo.com

 

Pic from: http://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/fidel-castro-and-baseball

 

 

Baseball – THE CASTRO CONNECTION

-David Strobach.-

There is no Hall of Fame where Castro is going……

Fidel Castro, the cruel and harsh Cuban dictator, may have had an opportunity that could have altered the path of Cuba, history and his own life.  Fidel Castro was a star pitcher at the University of Havana.  It was always rumored that Fidel tried out for either the Washington Senators or the New York Yankees.  So…what if?  What if he had made the team?

This is more than baseball…this is world history.

Castro, one of the most cruel dictators in the world; could things have gone differently?  He ranks among the inhumane ruthless dictators in history.  Let’s review:  Castro, a communist, lived in an obscenely luxurious palace, ruled with violent military force, while his own people would average an income of about 19 dollars a month.  Human rights were being stripped from the people including: freedom of choice, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.  Embargos left the people hungry and without employment. Whoever would oppose him was imprisoned, many “disappeared”, and thousands were forced to flee Cuba.  So many innocent lives and families were affected.  Sadly, numerous people were tortured and killed.

Think about this.  What would’ve have happened to Cuba if Fidel Castro made it to the “Bigs?”  Would so many lives still have been ruined? Would another ruthless dictator just have taken his place in history?  How would the Cuban missile crisis have turned out?  Would it ever have happened at all? Would Cuba be communist?  If not, would they have been our allies?  Could the Cold War have ended differently or at least the threats?  Could world history have been totally different?  What if headlines read, CASTRO THROWS NO HITTER! instead of CASTRO KILLS PROTESTERS????

It’s amazing to think . . . what would have happened if he had only made the team and been part of something awesome, like BASEBALL !?!?!?

PERHAPS NOW, AFTER HIS PASSING, RELATIONS WITH CUBA WILL CHANGE……AND IN TURN, WE CAN ENJOY BASEBALL TOGETHER!

Like me on Facebook!

Follow me on Twitter: @BleacherBoy10

Email me: thebleacherboy@yahoo.com

 

Pic from: http://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/fidel-castro-and-baseball

 

 

Effort Deserves The Reward

-David Strobach-

Two kids are trying out to play shortstop.  Jeremy has all the talent in the world to be a five tool player,  always making the sensational play or getting a big hit. However, he is always fooling around and not working hard. He never encourages is teammates.  Jeremy enjoys his parties and late night video games.  He shows up to practice half crapping it, but still is obviously the best player on the field despite that he drags his butt going on and off the field.  Jakob on the other hand has some talent, but isn’t close to Jeremy’s natural “level.”  Jakob, however, comes to practice early ready to work, stays late for extra batting time and always gives it his all.  He loves nothing more and desires no more than to be on the ball diamond.  He always hustles and leaves it all on the field.  Let me ask you this…what should the coach do?

Most coaches may start the more talented kid and I don’t disagree with that.  They are the better player and deserve to start.  The problem is that I see that some coaches can be blinded by talent and their own desire to win and they tend to forget about their hardest working players on the bench.  Let’s say Jeremy plays no other position, so there is no room for Jakob.  Jakob may barely touch the field the entire year, yet still gives the most effort.  Sometimes, effort is never ever rewarded.

Effort needs to be rewarded so that those hardworking players don’t lose heart. If you reward effort,  Jakob gains more confidence and this motivates him to keep working at his 3 P’s like I’ve preached.  If Jeremy sees Jakob getting rewarded and not himself, it may very well light a fire under his butt.  If the most talented, but “lazier” player feels that someone much less talented than him is taking his position, it has to scare them.  They’ll either cry to their parents about it so they can yell at the coach or hopefully they will work harder.  If a coach gets that call from a parent, they should tell them straight up that he is being out hustled.  Jakob has the heart and the desire….I don’t think you can teach those qualities in a player.   The value is not measurable.  In the long run, those with the heart, the desire, the hustle, eventually beat out the Jeremys of this world.

The cocky, no effort, uncoachable kids all eventually hit their peak, and never climb any higher.  Coaches may not notice at first, but eventually they will, trust me.  Coaches need to put the Jeremys of a team on notice early on, encouraging them to change their entitled ways – it will help them from sinking when and if they move on in the game and aren’t the big fish in a little pond anymore.   A season shows character and the type of people on a team – There is room for success for both the Jeremys and the Jakobs on every team.  Don’t lose HEART! Be that “little engine that could” and give it your all and you’ll eventually be the tortoise passing up the hare.

 

Thank you to Wicked Baseball for the picture to inspire this article.

 

 

Baseball – THE CASTRO CONNECTION

-David S.-

There is no Hall of Fame where Castro is going……

Fidel Castro, the cruel and harsh Cuban dictator, may have had an opportunity that could have altered the path of Cuba, history and his own life.  Fidel Castro was a star pitcher at the University of Havana.  It was always rumored that Fidel tried out for either the Washington Senators or the New York Yankees.  So…what if?  What if he had made the team?

This is more than baseball…this is world history.

Castro, one of the most cruel dictators in the world; could things have gone differently?  He ranks among the inhumane ruthless dictators in history.  Let’s review:  Castro, a communist, lived in an obscenely luxurious palace, ruled with violent military force, while his own people would average an income of about 19 dollars a month.  Human rights were being stripped from the people including: freedom of choice, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.  Embargos left the people hungry and without employment. Whoever would oppose him was imprisoned, many “disappeared”, and thousands were forced to flee Cuba.  So many innocent lives and families were affected.  Sadly, numerous people were tortured and killed.

Think about this.  What would’ve have happened to Cuba if Fidel Castro made it to the “Bigs?”  Would so many lives still have been ruined? Would another ruthless dictator just have taken his place in history?  How would the Cuban missile crisis have turned out?  Would it ever have happened at all? Would Cuba be communist?  If not, would they have been our allies?  Could the Cold War have ended differently or at least the threats?  Could world history have been totally different?  What if headlines read, CASTRO THROWS NO HITTER! instead of CASTRO KILLS PROTESTERS????

It’s amazing to think . . . what would have happened if he had only made the team and been part of something awesome, like BASEBALL !?!?!?

PERHAPS NOW, AFTER HIS PASSING, RELATIONS WITH CUBA WILL CHANGE……AND IN TURN, WE CAN ENJOY BASEBALL TOGETHER!

 

And the Rookie of the Year is………

I’ve been thinking about which player  is most likely to win the Rookie of the Year for each of the  leagues.  This year has a very dominant rookie class of ballplayers.  In the NL you have many future possible stars.  The cream of the crop includes Bryce Harper, Taylor Green, Norichika Aoki, Trevor Bauer, and Julio Teheran and many more.  The question is, who is the best…..?

DAVID’S PICK     –    NL Rookie of the Year:  Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

I would be pretty surprised to see anyone else win this award.  Bryce is ridicoulsly amazing.  He looks like the next Ryan Braun, or maybe even better.  He has huge hitting power to all fields, but also hits for good average.  Bryce is only 19 and he is already making a name for himself.  Harper has a huge career in front of him.

The AL also has a talented selection rookies as well.  Some possibilities include Yu Darvish, Yoenis Cespedes, Mike Trout, Matt Moore, and many more.

 

DAVID’S PICK   –   AL Rookie of the Year:  Mike Trout, Angels

Mike Trout is all around a great player.  He can field, and is super fast.  His power is outrageous.  Trout has drawn may comparisons to Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Mike and Bryce are pretty similar players in my opinion.  They both hit for average, have some serious power, and both play outfield.  These players have a bright future and may become superstars one day!

Baseball Words to Live By

-David S.-

“Baseball is simple, but never easy.”                             

-Roger Angell

Baseball is probably the  most simplistic sport.  You throw the ball, you catch the ball.   You hit, run around a couple bases, and don’t have to worry about a clock.  Yet it’s never as easy as it seems.  Try and hit a 100mph heater coming at you.  Try hitting a 55mph ball – Why is it that you can field so many balls in a row and all of  a sudden miss a crucial  but routine play?  Why does the ball just pop out of your glove?  Why can’t you hit the ball well in a slump? There’s something unique to this relaxed paced game that can be extremely joyful yet excrutiatingly (is that a word?) frustrating!

 

Lucroy Gets a Boxer’s Fracture, Wife Takes a “Beating” From Fans

-David S.-

Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers got a “boxer’s fracture” from a freak accident in his hotel room.  Jonathan was reaching under his bed for a lost sock and his wife moved a suitcase which fell on his hand causing a fracture.  Lucroy needs surgery on his hand.  He will miss up to six weeks.  This is going to kill the injury plagued Brewers.  He was putting up huge numbers and looking like an all-star.

Lucroy’s wife, Sarah is getting harrassed and threatened by some Brewer fans via Facebook. “It’s been a battle for me, personally, because there’s no one to blame, and my wife is getting killed by this,” Lucroy said. “It’s not like she’s not hurt enough already, not feeling guilty enough already. I really wish people would just leave her alone, leave us alone, just let us try to move forward, and get this behind us, because this has been a brutal couple of days.”

I can’t believe people would be so cruel about what happened.  This is obviously an accident.  Stop harassing Sarah!!! and remember that baseball is just a game and accidents happen.  (Lucroy, way to stand up and support your wife!!!!  You’re an All Star already!!)

HANK = HEART, HONOR, HARD WORK

Sorry BLOG fans that I have been A.W.O.L. –  but life has been busy busy busy!! My baseball season is in full swing and I have been finishing up 6th grade science projects…….

I recently was able to attend my brother’s college graduation from Marquette University.  During the ceremony there were two guest speakers.  They were Bud Selig, commissioner of the MLB and Hank Aaron.  Hank’s speech was very inspiring.  He talked about how in life there are no shortcuts to sucs,ces“The one thing I try to tell all these young kids is that there is absolutely no short cut to success.”   Hank was also saying that steroids are one of the worst things you could do.  If you really want to succeed you must do it with hard work and without performance  enhancing drugs.  He was comparing baseball to college, by saying that when you graduate from college you have a new begining just like in spring training.  Henry had many great sayings that inspired me like,  “The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal.  The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.”

I can tell that he had a huge passion for the game.  Pros make millions of dollars and in Hank’s rookie year he had to walk to County Stadium because he didn’t have a car, which was 3 miles away from his apartment.  Henry had to deal with a lot of racism.  He worked so hard to overcome many hardships and was grateful for the opportunity to play ball and the people that helped him along the way.

Hank Aaron has inspired many people in this world.  I know that I look up to him.  In my opinion I think that Hank is still the true Home Run King because he earned the title the old fashioned way – with heart and hard work.  He was an honorable player that has given back to the community with many charities.   Mr. Aaron will always be a hero to many people and his legacy will always be remembered.

Are They Worth It???????

-David S.-

2011 was certainly the biggest free agent year ever.  Millions and millions of dollars were spent.   Teams need to remember that one player may sell lots of tickets, but it doesn’t guarantee you a winning season.  The question is, are these players worth all the money?

Albert Pujols Contract: 10-year  $250 million

Albert Pujols Stats (as of 5-19-12): H: 34   HR: 3  RBI: 18  AVG: .215

Not Worth It!!! Albert has been slumping all season so far.  He has hit 30 or more home runs in every season of his 11 years in the bigs.  Angel fans must be starting to worry about this mega deal and all of the money that is being burned.  Could this be a start of a declining career for Albert?

Prince Fielder Contract: 10-year, $214 million

Prince Fielder (as of 5-19-12): H: 46  HR: 7   RBI: 24  AVG: .303

SO SO…Prince has been pretty sub-par this year.  Not horrible, but not outstanding.  I think that he’ll heat up as the year goes by and gets into a groove.

Rickie Weeks Contract: 4-year, $38.5 million

Rickie Weeks Stats (as of 5-19-12): H:22  HR: 4  RBI: 7  AVG: .154

HORRIBLE!!!!!!!! I don’t get why on Earth the Brewers are paying him this much money.  He’s never been a great player.  Weeks is also injury prone and whenever he has a good year going, he gets injured.  I’m sick of watching him strike out over and over again.  Furthermore, his defense is questionable.  He can make a play look fantastic, but only when the ball comes right to him.

Jonathan Lucroy Contract: H: 38   HR: 2   RBI: 20   AVG: .330

Jonathan Lucroy Stats (as of  5-19-12): 5-year $11 million

BARGAIN!!!!!! Jonathan Lucroy is a monster!!!!!  You can always depend on him for a clutch hit and great defense.  A  star in the making.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the All-Star game this year.  The good thing is that the Brewers locked him up for a while and he was very cheap.

The Moral is that you can’t judge a player by a paycheck.

Aggressive Hitters VS. Patient Hitters Part 2

-David S.-

Is Patience a Virtue?

Some people think a Patient hitter is boring even though some of the best hitters are patient.  These types of hitters typically don’t swing at the first pitch.  They tend to wear down the pitcher, spend a longer amount of time in the batter’s box, and usually have the most walks.  For example, Joey Votto and Prince Fielder are this type of hitter.  They are both always top in the league in walks and top in various hitting categories.

Recently more teams are starting to pick up patient hitters.  This is because they are realizing how many runs they get out of them.  Billy Beane, GM of the Oakland A’s really demonstrated this style of hitting as an asset to the sport by recognizing that patient hitters tend to get on base, one way or another.

Getting on base isn’t the only benefit of a patient hitter.  You can really wear down the pitcher.  His pitch count could start getting high.  This could open up an opportunity for a mistake from the pitcher.  Another benefit is to get the pitcher frustrated.  Once he’s frustrated, he may make mental errors and make all kinds of mistakes.  Are patient and aggressive hitters born or made?